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A group of inmates at Toronto South Detention Centre are studying Secret Path, Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel about Chanie Wenjack. Chanie was a young Anishinaabe boy who died while running away from residential school in 1966 — simply because he wanted to go home. Many themes in Chanie’s story resonate with these inmates: isolation, identity, fear, anger, the ...

“If this is the last thing I do, I'm very happy. This is what I want to do." This intimate concert film captures Canadian musician Gord Downie’s remarkable and emotional Secret Path performance in October 2016, interwoven with footage from the original animated film. This live tribute to Chanie Wenjack, an Anishinaabe boy who died trying to escape residential school, ...

This video was created by Grade 9 students in Ms. Di Felice's Native Studies class at Holy Trinity Catholic High School in Kanata, Ontario, for our #StandForCanada Youth Challenge. In a probing newscast, HT students examine Canada 150 through the lens of treaties, Indigenous rights and reconciliation.

This video was created by Grade 4-8 students in the Equity Club at Gordon B. Attersley Public School in Oshawa, Ontario, for our #StandForCanada Youth Challenge. These students explore what it means to them to be Canadian by acknowledging that they are on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation and researching the Williams Treaties.

This video was created by Grade 9 students in Ms. Thind's class at West Vancouver Secondary School in B.C., for our #StandForCanada Youth Challenge. To celebrate Canada's 150th, these students examine the tumultuous relationship between Canada and Indigenous peoples, from early exploration to Confederation, from residential schools to reconciliation.

In this 8th Fire Dispatch, Anishinaabe activist, scholar and mother Leanne Simpson explains the "8th Fire" prophecy and what needs to happen in the relationship between Indigenous people and Canada before it can be lit. Simpson is the author of Lighting the 8th Fire: The Liberation, Resurgence and Protection of Indigenous Nations and Dancing On Our Turtle's Back: Stories of ...

Why are stereotypes of Indigenous people so prominent in Canada? Why is it so hard to get non-Native Canadians to pay attention to the experiences that Indigenous people have endured? Wab Kinew talks with George Stroumboulopoulos about some of the problems facing Canadian society — and suggests some possible solutions.

In August 2017 a quaint college town in Virginia became the epicentre of America’s cultural and racial divide. White nationalists clashed violently with counter protesters. One woman died after a car was deliberately driven into the crowds. Dozens were injured. But what led to this seeming re-emergence of virulent racism and white supremacy? And is this strictly an American problem? ...

Canada experiences a boom time after the war, but not all are happy with the status quo. They seek to reshape the country and challenge dark legacies of injustice. The circle of Confederation grows and Canada emerges as a complex and cosmopolitan nation on the world stage. Features stories/events include: Newfoundland joins Confederation, Viola Desmond and civil rights in Canada, ...

Canada seeks to navigate the complexities of its diverse population, keeping its borders open to those who have nowhere else to turn while trying to negotiate a new relationship with Indigenous peoples. This unique example of nationhood serves as an example for the world as Canada moves into the 21st century. Features stories/events include: the Vietnamese boat people, the Oka ...

How well do Canadians know Indigenous history? What role did treaties play in forming our country? Are the stories told through truth and reconciliation changing our understanding of Canadian history? Moderated by award-winning journalist Duncan McCue, host of Cross Country Checkup on CBC Radio, the panel includes Ry Moran, National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation; Cynthia Wesley-Eskuimaux, Lakehead University; and Eldon Yellowhorn, ...

When Canada: The Story of Us first aired on CBC, it sparked important discussion and debate. To accompany the series, this roundtable brings together a group of Canadian history experts to discuss some of the different perspectives on our history — and what that means to our identities as Canadians. Moderated by Mike Finnerty, host of CBC Montreal's Daybreak, the panel includes Brenda ...

Gord Downie's Secret Path tells the story of Chanie Wenjack, a young boy who died trying to get home from residential school in 1966. It's been taught in classrooms across Canada this year. Daisy and Pearl Wenjack, Chanie's sisters, visit a school in Toronto where the children have a special surprise for the family.

A group of Ontario high school students write and perform a play that honours Gord Downie’s music and Secret Path project. On the day of the dress rehearsal, drama teacher Scott Garbe invites a very special guest to watch scenes from the play. Tim “Redfeather” Thomas, a 74-year-old Mi'kmaq elder, talks about his own experiences in residential school with the cast.

Matilda Wilson, a residential school survivor from Smithers, B.C., rose to speak at a public forum hosted by CBC's The Current. She called Senator Lynn Beyak's comments in defence of the "well-intentioned" people who ran the residential school system "a slap in the face." Wilson shared her own experience being taken to a residential school in 1956, as well as the ...

To those who ask why Indigenous people don't just "get over" the residential school experience, Senator Murray Sinclair has this response: "My answer has always been: Why can't you always remember this?" Sinclair was speaking at one of The Current's public forum on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG).

Hayden King, Professor of Indigenous Governance at Ryerson University, weighs in on Prime Minister Trudeau's decision to split Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada into two separate ministries, some 20 years after the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) recommended such a division.

John A. Macdonald's complicated legacy is sparking heated debated over whether to remove his name from schools. Many Canadians are asking, how do we honour Canada's first prime minister while acknowledging his role in creating residential schools?

Four Faces of the Moon follows the animated journey of an Indigenous photographer as she travels through time. She witnesses moments in her family's history and strengthens her connection to her Métis, Cree and Anishnaabe ancestors. This is a personal story, told in four chapters through the eyes of director and writer Amanda Strong. The oral and written history of her ...

Putting seed production back in the hands of the small farmer; preserving the stories of Residential School survivors; and building cameras for a new frontier of ocean discovery. In this episode: Adam Gobi, Jane Rabinowicz and Ry Moran.

As Canada prepares to celebrate its 150th birthday we take a look at some of the events planned ahead of the big July party. Arts reporter Deanna Sumanac-Johnson speaks with some Canadians who will not be celebrating Canada’s 150th because of what they see as a history of colonialism. And others debate this question: How old is Canada really? The ...

A new generation of rebels and entrepreneurs compete for the key to this land's prosperity – its natural resources – while others fight to protect them. It's an epic quest for treasure that shapes the country to this day. Features stories/events include: timber trade, sea otter trade, iron foundry, Chat Ka and the buffalo, the route to the Pacific. Important ...

Hundreds of Indigenous nations with advanced cultures already live in Canada when French and English colonizers arrive and fight for land claims. Indigenous people suffer as a result of first contact. Features stories/events include: Turtle Island, Samuel de Champlain and early settlements, Wendat and Haudenosaunee, Filles du Roi, Radisson and Des Groseilliers, Plains of Abraham. Important note for teachers: This ...